[Wired In raw #32: Richard Taylor #2]

Raw footage for "Wired In," a never completed series on the technological trends and innovations of the 1980s. In this video, Richard Taylor of Information International Inc. continues to about the recent technological innovations in the computer graphics and gaming industry. Richard Taylor #2.

00:00Copy video clip URL This tape begins with color bars. Taylor and the videomakers can be heard talking about the design aspects of computer simulation.

00:50Copy video clip URL Cut to a shot of Taylor. The videomaker asks Taylor to comment on designing a scene through computer simulation. He describes the constraints within the physical realm and gives an example as to how a filmmaker can utilize computer simulation to break through those constraints. “I think the term that I use to describe computer imaging is that it reminds you of something you’ve never seen before… And those are the things that are magic that communicate to you subliminally because it’s that impossibility that looks totally real. You’re seeing things that you know are impossible yet they’re done so perfectly they connect to you subconsciously.” Shortly after this, there is a break in the footage.

04:21Copy video clip URL Taylor talks about the possibility of new storytelling capabilities through computer simulation. He explains that computer simulation is a great tool for dream sequences and abstract imaging in film. Taylor then begins to talk about the movie “Tron.” He states that the film is a great vehicle for exposing people to new technological capabilities.

06:12Copy video clip URL The videomaker asks Taylor about the future of computer simulation. Taylor talks about the traditional forms of filmmaking in Hollywood before computer simulation. He goes on to say that the computer imaging techniques of the modern day will make it easier for filmmakers to do “extreme visual things.” He goes on to talk about the integration of computer simulation and real world photography.

08:32Copy video clip URL Taylor then talks about the uses of computer simulation across a wide variety of different fields of work and study. This lasts for several minutes.

11:21Copy video clip URL The videomaker asks Taylor about Hollywood storytelling trends and how they have evolved with computer technology. Taylor states, “I think that the storytelling potential of computers is as wide as man’s imaginations… I think it’s just a palette; it’s like a cornucopia of visual potential.” This lasts for several minutes.

13:41Copy video clip URL The videomaker then refers to Taylor as a “machine man.” He quickly responds, “No I’m not a machine man. I’m a human man.” He then talks about  using special effects equipment and the human element in the computer imaging process. “I think of those things as instruments, you know, like musical instruments… Computer simulation is like a new kind of organ that’s been designed and it’s a matter of learning to play it and teaching other people to play and us all learning how to play these tools. So I don’t find them at all intimidating. I don’t like to be pushed around by machines. Because the complexity of a machine is of no value in itself. Machines are of no value in themselves. It’s the human energy that’s the important thing. It’s the way we use them.” Taylor goes on to say, “I think that the computer imaging process is a new tool that gives us the potential to express ourselves with more freedom and with more variety than we’ve ever had and it’s just a matter of learning how to play them.” Taylor then talks about possibility of computers replacing people. He states that in some fields, computers will replace people, but that in the arts, computers will only aid in the storytelling process. This lasts for several minutes.

17:55Copy video clip URL Tape ends.